General

By George! The “Star Tours” Saga: Episode Two

It’s a race for space as Disney Productions executives dither over whether their studio should actually put “Space Probe One”into production, while George Lucas basically wills his “Journal of the Whills” project into existence.

Published

19 years ago

July 4, 2005

Jim Hill

It’s another one of those great Hollywood “What If.”

What if … George Lucas had actually been able to do what he wanted to do back in 1970? Which was acquire the movie rights to Alex Raymond’s “Flash Gordon” comic strip. Would there even be a “Star Wars” film series today if George had actually been able to produce his dream project? Which was to do a big screen remake of one of those “Flash Gordon” serials from the 1930s.

Sadly, when Lucas started making inquiries, he discovered that someone else had already acquired the “Flash Gordon” feature films rights. (“Who had those rights?,” you ask. Would you believe legendary Italian film-maker Federico Fellini?

That’s right. The genius who brought us “La Strada ” and “La Dolce Vita” harbored a secret desire to make a “Flash Gordon” movie. Unfortunately, Federico was never actually able to get his “Flash” feature off the ground. Which is why Fellini eventually sold off the “Gordon” film rights to another Italian movie-making legend, producer Dino De Lautentis. Who — hoping to cash in on the “Star Wars” craze — produced 1980’s “Flash Gordon”movie. And the less said about this Universal Studios release, the better … Anyway …)

So — seeing as the “Flash Gordon” film rights weren’t available — Lucas then decided to create his own space-based movie. Something that was clearly inspired by the movie serials of the 1930s.

So — starting in February 1972 — George picked up a pen and started writing. Eventually he produced a 13-page treatment for a proposed science fiction feature that was called … Well, how’s this for an ungainly title: “The Adventures of Luke Starkiller as taken from the ‘Journal of the Whills’ — Saga One: Star Wars.” Kind of a mouthful, don’t you think?

As he was getting “American Graffiti” ready for release, Lucas began showing this treatment around town. But — to be honest — no one knew quite what to make of this “Star Wars” thing. First United Artists passed on the project, followed by Universal Studios (Which really rubbed George the wrong way. Why For? Because Universal was the studio that would soon be releasing “American Graffiti.” So — seeing as that studio passed on the chance to produce Lucas’s next picture — what did that say about what Universal thought about “American Graffiti”? Anywho …)

‘Why were so many supposedly smart studio heads turning down ‘Star Wars’?,” you query. Well, let’s remember that these folks weren’t actually seeing a full-blown script for what would eventually become “A New Hope.” But — rather — a 13-page treatment that featured virtually incomprehensible character descriptions like:

“ … Mace Windu, a revered Jedi-bendu of Opuchi who was related to Usby C. J. Thape, padawaan learner to the famed Jedi.”

And then there was “Star Wars” ‘s proposed storyline. Which featured this rather simplistic set of heroes & villains, daring-do and magic. To many of the executives who read this treatment, it seemed like Lucas was deliberately trying to make a kid’s flick. That goofy sort of adventure that Walt Disney Productions specialized in producing.

Which — to be honest — is exactly what George was up to. As he explained once in a 1980s-era interview:

“When I did ‘Graffiti,” I discovered that making a positive movie was exhilarating. I thought, Maybe I should make a film like this for even younger kids. ‘Graffiti’ was for sixteen-year-olds, this was for ten- and twelve-year-olds who have lost something even more significant than the teenager.

I saw kids today don’t have any fantasy life the way we had – they don’t have Westerns, they don’t have pirate movies … the real Errol Flynn, John Wayne kind of adventures. Disney had abdicated its reign over the children’s market, and nothing had replaced it.”

Okay. Now you’ll have to admit that that’s a little bizarre. But wait. It gets even weirder.

Just as Lucas is walking around Hollywood, trying to find some studio head who’ll be brave enough to put his faux “Flash Gordon” film in production … George learns that Walt Disney Productions is also considering putting its own ambitious space-based adventure before the cameras.

Don’t believe me? Okay. Then check out this description of the proposed production from Disney’s 1974 annual report:

Winston Hibler has begun work on the next epic adventure to be filmed by the Disney Studios, “Space Station 1.” Set in the year 2016, the project will call upon the organization’s talents in special effects to capture on film the perils of a sophisticated space station which is virtually torn apart by a supra nova shock and is being drawn toward a “black hole” in space.

“Who’s Winston Hibler?,” you query. Well, Hibler was a longtime Disney employee. Hib (as he was affectionately known around the studio lot) came on board at the Mouse Factory back in 1942, when Winston scripted & directed a number of those service training films that Disney produced during the war years. Once WW II was over, Hibler stayed on at the studio — helping to write such Disney animated classics as “Cinderella,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Peter Pan.”

Winston had a knack for solving severe story problems for the studio’s animated features. But what he really excelled at was the creation of live action motion pictures for Walt Disney Productions to release. Starting out as a writer on the studio’s “True Life Adventures” films series (FYI: Hib was also the narrator of many of these Academy Award winning featurettes), he eventually worked his way up through the ranks to become one of Walt’s right-hand men on the lot.

During the early 1960s, Hibler co-produced such popular Walt Disney Productions’ releases as 1962’s “Big Red,” 1965’s “The Ugly Dachshund” and 1966’s “Follow Me, Boys.” Following Walt’s death in December 1966, Winston became — along with Bill Walsh — one of the most seasoned producers that Disney Productions had.

As the 1960s gave way to the 1970s, Hib helped the Mouse Factory produce such memorable pictures like 1970’s “The Aristocats,” 1972’s “Napoleon & Samantha” and 1974’s “The Island at the Top of the World.”

It was on the heels of “Islands” ‘s December 1974 release (Which many critics — perhaps unfairly — called a pale imitation of an earlier, better Walt Disney Productions’ release, 1954’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea“) that Winston reportedly went to then-Disney president Card Walker and said: “We have to stop imitating ourselves here. It’s time to do what Walt really would have done. Which is not authorize production of yet another ‘Herbie’ sequel. But do something truly daring & original.”

The film that Hibler had in mind was based on an unpublished story by Bob Barbash & Richard Landau. A set-in-outer-space epic adventure that Winston hoped would really break the mold at the Mouse Factory. Not be another one of those cookie-cutter comedies that the studio seemed to continually churn out in the late 1960s & early 1970s. But a project that would truly challenge Walt Disney Productions.

As you might expect, Card (who was — by nature — a very cautious man) was extremely reluctant to allow WDP to tackle a project that was as ambitious as “Space Station One” was. I mean, just the projected production cost of this proposed science-fiction feature were enough to give Disney’s studio head pause.

But — that said — Walker did allow Hibler to officially begin development of “Space Station One.” Just so Card could at least get a sense of what the final film might look like. Which explains why this much more detailed description of the project appeared in Walt Disney Productions’ 1975 annual report:

“Space Station One,” now in long-range planning for production in 1977, will be our most ambitious live-action feature to date. In this truly fantastic science-fiction story, co-produced by Winston Hibler, an incredible robot joins in the daring rescue of the personnel aboard a doomed Earth station, which is steadily being drawn into a black hole in outer space. The film will provide a very special challenge to the studio’s talented special effects department.

Please note the last line of the above paragraph. That’s going to seem particularly ironic when we finally get around to tomorrow’s installment of the “Star Tours” saga … Anyhow …

So here’s Card Walker dithering about whether he should allow Winston Hibler to put “Space Station One” into production. Which is really unfortunate. For — if Card had actually allowed Hib to fast-track this project — Disney’s “Space Station One” might have beaten George Lucas’s “Star Wars” into theaters. Which means that the Mouse would have been seen as a leader of the 70’s sci-fi movie trend, rather than as just another follower.

Sadly, Walker just couldn’t bring himself to greenlight “Space Station One.” At least not in the mid-1970s. So — as development work on this Winston Hibler production moved along at a glacial pace over at Disney — 20th Century Fox production exec Alan Ladd (based solely on Ladd’s personal reaction to an early cut of “American Grafitti” that he had seen) tentatively offers to produce George Lucas’s next picture. You know, that “Adventures of Luke Starkiller” thing?

Mind you, Ladd didn’t actually offer Lucas an official contract. But — rather — just a deal memo. And it will take many more months of meetings with Alan (More importantly, Fox’s attorneys) before George finally gets an official “Go” on “Star Wars.”

“What’s the hold-up?,” you ask. To put it bluntly, the studio’s legal department just didn’t know what to make of Lucas. This man just didn’t behave like other film-makers did.

How so? Well, take — for example — what happened when Fox’s attorneys tried to establish what sort of fee George should be paid for directing “Star Wars.” Based on how well “American Graffitit” did during its initial theatrical release, Ladd authorized the studio’s lawyers to up Fox’s offer from $100,000 to $400,000 for Lucas’s directorial services.

Now a normal movie director — when offered a 400% increase in their helming fee — would have immediately taken the money and run. But not George.

Which was Fox’s attorneys are absolutely flabbergasted when they heard Lucas’s counter-offer. While Ladd’s offer of additional money to direct “Star Wars” was flattering, George would agree to forego the fee increase IF Fox agreed to give him the rights to the following items instead:

“Star Wars” soundtrack
All sequel rights to the film
All merchandise rights to the movie

Happy to save the studio some money, Fox’s lawyers immediately agreed to George’s proposal … But then came away from that meeting with the “Star Wars” director thinking that they were dealing with an absolute madman.

I mean, what was the point of Lucas retaining the rights to make merchandise based on a movie that most Fox execs thought would turn out to be just a bad imitation of a Walt Disney Productions release? After all, who was ever going to want to buy “Star Wars” toys?

Actually, George was hoping that at least a few kids would want “Star Wars” toys. And as for his “Journal of the Whills” project seeming like something Disney should make, Lucas all but admitted as such to film-maker John Milius. George — when he described “Star Wars” to John — once supposedly said:

“… This is a Disney movie. All Disney movies make $16 million, so this picture is going to make $16 million. It cost ten, so we’re going to lose some money on the release, but I hope to make some of it back on the toys.”

Pretty bizarre, don’t you think?

Sooo … Just to recap: As 1975 draws to a close, we have Card Walker still hemming & hawing over whether he should allow Winston Hibler to actually put “Space Station One” into production. While George Lucas seems positively eager to get to the seemingly impossible task of turning his space-based fantasy into a really-for-real motion picture.

But now the big question was: How was Lucas ever going to pull off all of those out-of-this-world special effects that would eventually help “A New Hope” wow movie-goers? (FYI: This same question was also supposedly one of the main reasons that Card wouldn’t allow Hib to begin production of “Space Station One.” Walker reportedly didn’t think that Disney’s special effects wizards were actually up to the challenges of this particular production)

The answer to many of “Star Wars” ‘s special effects problems actually turned out to be a guy who worked in Disney’s matte department. A man I’ll introduce you to tomorrow …

General

Seward Johnson bronzes add a surreal, artistic touch to NYC’s Garment District

Published

9 years ago

June 23, 2015

Jim Hill

Greetings from NYC. Nancy and I drove down from New
Hampshire yesterday because we'll be checking out
Disney Consumer Products' annual Holiday Showcase later today.

Anyway … After checking into our hotel (i.e., The Paul.
Which is located down in NYC's NoMad district), we decided to grab some dinner.
Which is how we wound up at the Melt Shop.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is this restaurant that only sells grilled cheese sandwiches.
This comfort food was delicious, but kind of on the heavy side.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is why — given that it was a beautiful summer night
— we'd then try and walk off our meals. We started our stroll down by the Empire
State Building
…

Photo by Jim Hill

… and eventually wound up just below Times
Square (right behind where the Waterford Crystal Times Square New
Year's Eve Ball is kept).

Photo by Jim Hill

But you know what we discovered en route? Right in the heart
of Manhattan's Garment District
along Broadway between 36th and 41st? This incredibly cool series of life-like
and life-sized sculptures that Seward
Johnson has created.

Photo by Jim Hill

And — yes — that is Abraham Lincoln (who seems to have
slipped out of WDW's Hall of Presidents when no one was looking and is now
leading tourists around Times Square). These 18 painted
bronze pieces (which were just installed late this past Sunday night / early
Monday morning) range from the surreal to the all-too-real.

Photo by Jim Hill

Some of these pieces look like typical New Yorkers. Like the
business woman planning out her day …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the postman delivering the mail …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the street musician playing for tourists …

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention the tourists themselves.

Photo by Jim Hill

But right alongside the bronze businessmen …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there were also statues representing people who were
from out-of-town …

Photo by Jim Hill

… or — for that matter — out-of-time.

Photo by Jim Hill

These were the Seward Johnson pieces that genuinely beguiled. Famous impressionist paintings brought to life in three dimensions.

Note the out-of-period water bottle that some tourist left
behind. Photo by Jim Hill

Some of them so lifelike that you actually had to pause for
a moment (especially as day gave way to night in the city) and say to yourself
"Is that one of the bronzes? Or just someone pretending to be one of these
bronzes?"

Mind you, for those of you who aren't big fans of the
impressionists …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there's also an array of American icons. Among them
Marilyn Monroe …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and that farmer couple from Grant Wood's "American
Gothic."

Photo by Jim Hill

But for those of you who know your NYC history, it's hard to
beat that piece which recreates Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph of V-J Day in Times Square.

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, a 25-foot-tall version of this particular Seward
Johnson piece ( which — FYI — is entitled "Embracing Peace") will actually
be placed in Times Square for a few days on or around August 14th to commemorate the 70th
anniversary of Victory Over Japan Day (V-J Day).

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, if you'd like to check these Seward Johnson bronzes in
person (which — it should be noted — are part of the part of the Garment
District Alliance's new public art offering) — you'd best schedule a trip to
the City sometime over the next three months. For these pieces will only be on
display now through September 15th.

General

Wondering what you should “Boldly Go” see at the movies next year? The 2015 Licensing Expo offers you some clues

Published

10 years ago

June 10, 2015

Jim Hill

Greeting from the 2015 Licensing Expo, which is being held
at the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center in Las
Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

I have to admit that I enjoy covering the Licensing Expo.
Mostly becomes it allows bloggers & entertainment writers like myself to
get a peek over the horizon. Scope out some of the major motion pictures &
TV shows that today's vertically integrated entertainment conglomerates
(Remember when these companies used to be called movie studios?) will be
sending our way over the next two years or so.

Photo by Jim Hill

Take — for example — all of "The Secret Life of
Pets" banners that greeted Expo attendees as they made their way to the
show floor today. I actually got to see some footage from this new Illumination
Entertainment production (which will hit theaters on July 8, 2016) the last time I was in Vegas. Which
was for CinemaCon back in April. And the five or so minutes of film that I viewed
suggested that "The Secret Life of Pets" will be a really funny
animated feature.

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, Universal Pictures wanted to make sure that Expo
attendees remembered that there was another Illumination Entertainment production
coming-to-a-theater-near-them before "The Secret Life of Pets" (And
that's "Minions," the "Despicable Me" prequel. Which
premieres at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival next week but
won't be screened stateside 'til July 10th of this year). Which is why they had
three minions who were made entirely out of LEGOS loitering out in the lobby.

Photo by Jim Hill

And Warner Bros. — because they wanted "Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice" to start trending on Twitter today — brought
the Batmobile to Las Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention full-sized macquettes of Batman, Superman and
Wonder Woman. Just so conventioneers could then see what these DC superheroes
would actually look like in this eagerly anticipated, March 25, 2016 release.

Photo by Jim Hill

That's the thing that can sometimes be a wee bit frustrating
about the Licensing Expo. It's all about delayed gratification. You'll come
around a corner and see this 100 foot-long ad for "The Peanuts Movie"
and think "Hey, that looks great. I want to see that Blue Sky Studios production
right now." It's only then that you notice the fine print and realize that
"The Peanuts Movie" doesn't actually open in theaters 'til November
6th of this year.

Photo by Jim Hill

And fan of Blue Sky's "Ice Age" film franchise are in for an even
longer wait. Given that the latest installment in that top grossing series
doesn't arrive in theaters 'til July
15, 2016.

Photo by Jim Hill

Of course, if you're one of those people who needs immediate
gratification when it comes to your entertainment, there was stuff like that to
be found at this year's Licensing Expo. Take — for example — how the WWE
booth was actually shaped like a wrestling ring. Which — I'm guessing — meant
that if the executives of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. didn't like
the offer that you were making, they were then allowed to toss you out over the
top rope, Royal Rumble-style.

Photo by Jim Hill

I also have to admit that — as a longtime Star Trek fan —
it was cool to see the enormous Starship Enterprise that hung in place over the
CBS booth. Not to mention getting a glimpse of the official Star Trek 50th
Anniversary logo.

Photo by Jim Hill

I was also pleased to see lots of activity in The Jim Henson
Company booth. Which suggests that JHC has actually finally carved out a
post-Muppets identity for itself.

Photo by Jim Hill

Likewise for all of us who were getting a little concerned
about DreamWorks Animation (what with all the layoffs & write-downs &
projects that were put into turnaround or outright cancelled last year), it was
nice to see that booth bustling.

Photo by Jim Hill

Every so often, you'd come across some people who were
promoting a movie that you weren't entirely sure that you actually wanted to
see (EX: "Angry Birds," which Sony Pictures Entertainment / Columbia
Pictures will be releasing to theaters on May 20, 2016). But then you remembered that Clay Kaytis —
who's this hugely talented former Walt Disney Animation Studios animator — is
riding herd on "Angry Birds" with Fergal Reilly. And you'd think
"Well, if Clay's working on 'Angry Birds,' I'm sure this animated feature
will turn out fine."

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, there were reminders at this year's Licensing Expo
of great animated features that we're never going to get to see now. I still
can't believe — especially after that brilliant proof-of-concept footage
popped up online last year — that Sony execs decided not to go forward
with production of Genndy Tartakovsky's
"Popeye" movie. But that's the
cruel thing about the entertainment business, folks. It will sometime break
your heart.

Photo by Jim Hill

And make no mistake about this. The Licensing Expo is all
about business. That point was clearly driven home at this year's show when —
as you walked through the doors of the Mandalay
Bay Convention Center
— the first thing that you saw was the Hasbros Booth. Which was this gleaming,
sleek two story-tall affair full of people who were negotiating deals &
signing contracts for all of the would-be summer blockbusters that have already
announced release dates for 2019 & beyond.

Photo by Jim Hill

"But what about The Walt Disney Company?," you
ask. "Weren't they represented on the show floor at this year's Licensing
Expo?" Not really, not. I mean, sure. There were a few companies there hyping
Disney-related products. Take — for example — the Disney Wikkeez people.

Photo by Jim Hill

I'm assuming that some Disney Consumer Products exec is
hoping that Wikkeez will eventually become the new Tsum Tsum. But to be blunt,
these little hard plastic figures don't seem to have the same huggable charm
that those stackable plush do. But I've been wrong before. So let's see what
happens with Disney Wikkeez once they start showing up on the shelves of the
Company's North American retail partners.

Photo by Jim Hill

And speaking of Disney's retail partners … They were
meeting with Mouse House executives behind closed doors one floor down from the
official show floor for this year's Licensing Expo.

Photo by Jim Hill

And the theme for this year's invitation-only Disney shindig? "Timeless
Stories" involving the Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm brands that
would then appeal to "tomorrow's consumer."

Photo by Jim Hill

And just to sort of hammer home the idea that Disney is no
longer the Company which cornered the market when it comes to little girls
(i.e., its Disney Princess and Disney Fairies franchises), check out this
wall-sized Star Wars-related image that DCP put up just outside of one of its
many private meeting rooms. "See?," this carefully crafted photo
screams. "It isn't just little boys who want to wield the Force. Little
girls also want to grow up and be Lords of the Sith."

Photo by Jim Hill

One final, kind-of-ironic note: According to this banner,
Paramount Pictures will be releasing a movie called "Amusement Park"
to theaters sometime in 2017.

Photo by Jim Hill

Well, given all the "Blackfish" -related issues
that have been dogged SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment over the past two years, I'm
just hoping that they'll still be in the amusement park business come 2017.

Your thoughts?

General

It takes more than three circles to craft a Classic version of Mickey Mouse

Published

10 years ago

June 9, 2015

Jim Hill

You know what Mickey Mouse looks like, right? Little guy,
big ears?

Truth be told, Disney's corporate symbol has a lot of
different looks. If Mickey's interacting with Guests at Disneyland
Park (especially this summer, when
the Happiest Place on Earth
is celebrating its 60th anniversary), he looks & dresses like this.

Or when he's appearing in one of those Emmy Award-winning shorts that Disney
Television Animation has produced (EX: "Bronco Busted," which debuts
on the Disney Channel tonight at 8 p.m. ET / PT), Mickey is drawn in a such a
way that he looks hip, cool, edgy & retro all at the same time.

Looking ahead to 2017 now, when Disney Junior rolls out "Mickey and the
Roadster Racers," this brand-new animated series will feature a sportier version
of Disney's corporate symbol. One that Mouse House managers hope will persuade
preschool boys to more fully embrace this now 86 year-old character.

That's what most people don't realize about the Mouse. The
Walt Disney Company deliberately tailors Mickey's look, even his style of
movement, depending on what sort of project / production he's appearing in.

Take — for example — Disney
California Adventure
Park's "World of Color:
Celebrate!" Because Disney's main mouse would be co-hosting this new
nighttime lagoon show with ace emcee Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Goldberg really had
to step up Mickey's game. Which is why this master Disney animator created
several minutes of all-new Mouse animation which then showed that Mickey was
just as skilled a showman as Neil was.

Better yet, let's take a look at what the folks at Avalanche Studios just went
through as they attempted to create a Classic version of Mickey & Minnie.
One that would then allow this popular pair to become part of Disney Infinity
3.0.

"I won't lie to you. We were under a lot of pressure to
get the look of this particular version of Mickey — he's called Red Pants
Mickey around here — just right," said Jeff Bunker, the VP of Art
Development at Avalanche Studios, during a recent phone interview. "When
we brought Sorcerer Mickey into Disney Infinity 1.0 back in January of 2014,
that one was relatively easy because … Well, everyone knows what Mickey Mouse
looked like when he appeared in 'Fantasia.' "

"But this time around, we were being asked to design
THE Mickey & Minnie," Bunker continued. "And given that these Classic
Disney characters have been around in various different forms for the better
part of the last century … Well, which look was the right look?"

Which is why Jeff and his team at Avalanche Studios began watching hours &
hours of Mickey Mouse shorts. As they tried to get a handle on which look would
work best for these characters in Disney Infinity 3.0.

"And we went all the way back to the very start of Mickey's career. We began
with 'Steamboat Willie' and then watched all of those black & white Mickey shorts
that Walt made back in the late 1920s & early 1930s. From there, we
transitioned to his Technicolor shorts. Which is when Mickey went from being
this pie-eyed, really feisty character to more of a well-behaved leading
man," Bunker recalled. "We then finished out our Mouse marathon by
watching all of those new Mickey shorts that Paul Rudish & his team have
been creating for Disney Television Animation. Those cartoons really recapture
a lot of the spirit and wild slapstick fun that Mickey's early, black &
white shorts had."

But given that the specific assignment that Avalanche Studios had been handed
was to create the most appealing looking, likeable version of Mickey Mouse
possible … In the end, Jeff and his team wound up borrowing bits & pieces
from a lot of different versions of the world's most famous mouse. So that
Classic Mickey would then look & move in a way that best fit the sort of
gameplay which people would soon be able to experience with Disney Infinity
3.0.

"That — in a lot of ways — was actually the toughest
part of the Classic Mickey design project. You have to remember that one of the
key creative conceits of Disney Infinity
is that all the characters which appear in this game are toys," Bunker
stated. "Okay. So they're beautifully detailed, highly stylized toy
versions of beloved Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm characters. But
they're still supposed to be toys. So our Classic versions of Mickey &
Minnie have the same sort of thickness & sturdiness to them that toys have.
So that they'll then be able to fit right in with all of the rest of the
characters that Avalanche Studios had previously designed for Disney Infinity."

And then there was the matter of coming up with just the
right pose for Classic Mickey & Minnie. Which — to hear Jeff tell the
story — involved input from a lot of Disney upper management.

"Everyone within the Company seemed to have an opinion
about how Mickey & Minnie should be posed. More to the point, if you Google
Mickey, you then discover that there are literally thousands of poses out there
for these two. Though — truth be told — a lot of those kind of play off the
way Mickey poses when he's being Disney's corporate symbol," Bunker said.
"But what I was most concerned about was that Mickey's pose had to work
with Minnie's pose. Because we were bringing the Classic versions of these
characters up into Disney Infinity 3.0 at the exact same time. And we wanted to
make sure — especially for those fans who like to put their Disney Infinity
figures on display — that Mickey's pose would then complement Minnie.

Which is why Jeff & the crew at Avalanche Studios
decided — when it came to Classic Mickey & Minnie's pose — that they
should go all the way back to the beginning. Which is why these two Disney icons
are sculpted in such a way that it almost seems as though you're witnessing the
very first time Mickey set eyes on Minnie.

"And what was really great about that was — as soon as
we began showing people within the Company this pose — everyone at Disney
quickly got on board with the idea. I mean, the Classic Mickey that we sculpted
for Disney Infinity 3.0 is clearly a very playful, spunky character. But at the
same time, he's obviously got eyes for Minnie," Bunker concluded. "So
in the end, we were able to come up with Classic versions of these characters
that will work well within the creative confines of Disney Infinity 3.0 but at
the same time please those Disney fans who just collect these figures because
they like the way the Disney Infinity characters look."

So now that this particular design project is over, does
Jeff regret that Mouse House upper management was so hands-on when it came to
making sure that the Classic versions of Mickey & Minnie were specifically
tailored to fit the look & style of gameplay found in Disney Infinity 3.0?

"To be blunt, we go through this every time we add a new character to the
game. The folks at Lucasfilm were just as hands-on when we were designing the
versions of Darth Vader and Yoda that will also soon be appearing in Disney
Infinity 3.0," Bunker laughed. "So in the end, if the character's
creators AND the fans are happy, then I'm happy."

This article was originally posted on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on Tuesday, June 9, 2015